Classification selectors for solids in gaseous suspension



1966 E. c. SAINT-JACQUES 3,232,430

CLASSIFICATION SELECTORS FOR SOLIDS IN GASEOUS SUSPENSION Filed Nov. 5. 1962 [N VENT 0R.

EUGENE C. SAIN T-JAEQUES MW QM Arrow/s United States Patent 3,232,436 CLASSEFICATEON SELEQTGRS FQR SQLiiI-S 1N GAE9U SUSIPENSZ N Eugene Camille Saint-leagues, 59 Rue Saint-Lazaro, Paris 9, France Filed Nov. 5, 1962, Ser. No. 235,272 Claims priority, application France, Nov. 17, 1961, 879,317 3 Claims. (Cl. ass-144 Selectors are already known which are intended for the separation and classification of solid particles held in suspension in a gaseous fluid, and which essentially comprise a cylindrical body which is extended at the bottom end thereof by an inverted frustum of a cone and at the top end thereof by a distributor fore-body into which the gaseous fluid is injected, preferably tangentially; the said fore-body is fitted inte nally with a cone through which there takes place a sucking action from the bottom to the top, and the base of which is separated from the internal wall of the fore-body by guide-vanes.

The gaseous fluid which is charged with particles flows downward in a vortical motion inside the fore-body, passes out through the guide-vanes, continues to flow downward in vertical motion inside the cylindrical body then inside the inverted frusto-conical extension of this latter while encountering one or a number of additiveair or rinsing-air intakes.

The largest particles of matter are carried towards the wall of the selector whereas the finest particles move toward the axis of the selector. When the finest particles get close to the axis, due to the fact that pressure at the top of the selector is lower than the pressure at the bottom, the finest particles are sucked upwardly and are removed at the top of the cone provided in the fore-body.

The improvements made in this type of selector in accordance with the present invention are intended to simplify the apparatus while at the same time ensuring a more effective separation of the heavier particles from the lighter particles.

A first improvement consists in employing only a single rinsingair intake and in making provision, substantially at the same level as the said air-intake and in the interior of the selector, for a central deflector cone which is adapted to move vertically and the height of which can be adjusted at will.

A second improvement, whether employed in combination with the preceding improvement or not, consists in providing the cylindrical body of the selector with a depth, between the outlet of the guide-vanes and the commencement of the bottom cone frustum, which is at least equal to four-fifths of the diameter of said cylindrical body, and in giving to the aboveunentioned cone frustum a depth which is at least equal to the depth of the cylindrical body which is located above this latter.

In the accompanying drawings, in which a view in vertical cross-section of one form of embodiment of the invention has been illustrated solely by way of non limitative example, the reference numeral 1 designates the cylindrical body of the selector, the reference 2 designates the inverted cone frustum which forms a downward extension of said cylindrical body, the reference 3 designates the fore-body which forms an upward extension of said cylindrical body, the reference 4 designates the cone disposed in the interior of said fore-body, the reference 5 designates the pipe through which the gaseous fluid charged with solid particles is injected, preferably tangentially, into the fore-body, while 3,232,430 Patented Feb. 1, 1966 the numerical 6 refers to the ring of guide-vanes between the base of the cone 4 and the Wall of the fore-body 3, the numeral '7 refers to a rinsing-air intake, and 8 designates a vertically movable, imperforate central deflector cone with its control rod 9. The inlets 5 and 7 are arranged so that the fluid streams flowing therethrough circulate in the same circumferential direction within the selector.

As shown in the drawing, the vertically movable central deflector 8 has an upper portion in the shape of an inverted frustum of a cone, the generatrix of which is substantially parallel to the generatrix of the internal wall of the inverted frustum of a cone 2, and the lower end of the deflector has the shape of an inverted cone.

The depth of the cylindrical body 1 between the outlet of the guide-vanes 6 and the commencement of the bottom cone frustum 2 is at least equal to four-fifths of the diameter of said cylindrical body. The cone frustum 2 has a depth which is at least equal to that of the cylindrical body 1 which is located above said cone frusturn.

Experience has shown that the dimensions of the cylindrical body I and of the cone frustum 2 as given above permit the substances in suspension in the gaseous fluid to progress in rotatory motion in the interior of the selector for a period of time which is sufficient to ensure that the heavier particles of matter are able to separate completely from the lighter particles in a horizontal direction under the combined action both of the centrifugal effect which is imparted to them and of the lowering of pressure which takes place at the centre of the selector along the axis thereof. Any danger of seeing particles of different densities mixing together is thus substantially diminished.

The provision of a single rinsing-air intake 7, which is not fitted with any intake-regulator and which provides for a constant flow rate, simplifies the selector as a whole and prevents any danger of clogging in the rinsing-air intake due to the presence of an intake-regulator.

The vertically movable central deflector 8 defines with the internal wall of the invented frustum of a cone 2 an annular passage in which the rinsing air introduced through the intake 7 circulates at a high speed.

The particles of matter which pass downward in a helical motion, as shown in solid lines at 11, must, in order to be brought in contact with the rinsing-air intake 7, pass into the space which is left free between the deflector cone 8 and the internal wall of the deflector, and the said space will be more or less large depending on whether the deflector cone 8 has been more or less lifted by means of the cone-operating rod 9. The entire quantity of rinsing air which is supplied through the intake 7 must also pass through this space before reaching the top of the deflector and the velocity of said rinsing air will be more or less high depending on whether the position of the deflector cone 8 is made to form between said cone and the internal wall of the deflector a space which is more or less wide. The flow of the rinsing air is shown by the broken lines 12. The rinsing air exits through the upper end of the cone 4 as indicated at 15. In addition, some air enters through the lower end of the body 1 as indicated by arrows 13 and the solids are discharged through said lower end as indicated by arrows 14.

The effectiveness of the rinsing action which completes the separation between the fine particles of matter and the larger particles depends on the velocity of the rinsing air in the annular passage between the lateral surface of the deflector 8 and the inner wall of the inverted conical frustum 2.

3 -i What I claim is: through substantially without turbulence, said deflecll. A selector for the separation and classification of tor element being vertically movable to change the Solid particles held in suspension in a gaseous fluid radical Width of said annular passageway, said defleccomprising: tor element also having an imperforate base wall an upright cylindrical body comprising an upper fore- 5 facing the lower end of the lower inverted frustobody and a cylindrical section extending downwardly conical member; and from the lower end of said forebody; both said inlets extending in the same tangential direca. lower, hollow, inverted frusto-conical member which tion with respect to said cylindrical body so that is spaced downwardly from said fore-body and both the gaseous fluid and the rinsing air circulate in extends downwardly within said cylindrical section the same circumferential direction inside said and is open at its upper and lower ends; cylindrical body. an upright, hollow, frusto-conical element extending 2. A selector according to claim 1, in which the base upwardly inside of said fore-body from adjacent the wall of said deflector element has the form of an inverted juncture of said fore-body and said cylindrical secconical tip for directing the incoming rinsing air into tion, said upright trusto-conical element being open said passage. at its upper and lower ends; 3. A selector according to claim 1, in which said said fore-body having a tangentially extending inlet cylindrical body is provided with a depth, between said through which the gaseous fluid to be classified enters guide vanes and the top extremity of said lower inverted said tore-body; frusto-conical member, which is at least equal to fourguide vanes disposed between the base of said upright fifths of the diameter of said cylindrical section, while fru'sto-conical element and the wall of said fore-body said lower inverted trusts-conical member has a depth in order that a rotary eddy motion may be imparted which is at least equal to the depth thus defined of said to the fluid as it moves from said fore-body into cylindrical section. said cylindrical section; a tangential inlet for directing rinsing air into the Referemgs flied y the Examiilel' space between said cylindrical section and said lower UNITED STATES PATENTS inverted :frusto-conical member so that the rinsing air enters the open lower end of said lower inverted 82 32 gnconical member while it is moving in a rotary 2,252,581 8/1941 SamtJacqueS 209 144 a closed, imperforate, vertically movable deflector ele- 3O249G8 3/1962 Ibmg et a1 209144 ment disposed within said lower inverted frusto- PORElGN PATENTS conical member, said deflector element comprising 763 898 12/1956 Great Britain an inverted frusto-conical portion whose side wall H is imperforate and is substantially parallel with the 39 GTHER REPEIENCES internal wall of said lower inverted frusto-conical Perry, I-la Chemical Engillfifii'iflg, 3rd

member and forms therewith an elongated annular 5011 (P 2 1027, Column 2 relied passage of substantially constant radial width HARRY B H RWY throughout its length and which passage is open 40 T 1 P r y Examlwr' at both ends so that the rinsing air flows there- HERBERT L. MARTIN, Examiner. 

1. A SELECTOR FOR THE SEPARATION AND CLASSIFICATION OF SOLID PARTICLES HELD IN SUSPENSION IN A GASEOUS FLUID COMPRISING: AN UPRIGHT CYLINDRICAL BODY COMPRISING AN UPPER FOREBODY AND A CYLINDRICAL SECTIO EXTENDING DOWNWARDLY FROM THE LOWER END OF SAID FORE-BODY; A LOWER, HOLLOW, INVERTED FRUSTO-CONICAL MEMBER WHICH IS SPACED DOWNWARDLY FROM SAID FORE-BODY AND EXTENDS DOWNWARDLY WITHIN SAID CYLINDRICAL SECTION AND IS OPEN AT ITS UPPER AND LOWER ENDS; AN UPRIGHT, HOLLOW, FRUSTO-CONICAL ELEMENT EXTENDING UPWARDLY INSIDE OF SAID FORE-BODY FROM ADJACENT THE JUNCTURE OF SAID FORE-BODY AND SAID CYLINDRICAL SECTION, SAID UPRIGHT FRUSTO-CONICAL ELEMENT BEING OEN AT ITS UPPER AND LWER ENDS; SAID FORE-BODY HAVING A TANGENTIALLY EXTENDING INLET THROUGH WHICH THE GASEOUS FLUID TO BE CLASSIFIED ENTERS SAID FORE-BODY; GUIDE VANES DISPOSED BETWEEN THE BASE OF SAID UPRIGHT FRUSTO-CONICAL ELEMENT AND THE WALL OF SAID FORE-BOCY IN ORDER THAT ROTARY EDDY MOTION MAY BE IMPARTED TO THE FULID AS IT MOVES FROM SAID FORE-BODY INTO SAID CYLINDRICAL SECTION; A TANGENTIAL INLET FOR DIRECTING RINSING AIR INTO THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID CYLINDRICAL SECTION AND SAID LOWER INVERTED FRUSTO-CONICAL MEMBER SO THAT THE RINSING AIR ENTERS THE OPEN LOWER END OF SAID LOWER INVERTED FRUSTO-CONICAL MEMBER WHILE IT IS MOVING IN A ROTARY FASHION; A CLOSED, IMPERFORATE, VERTICALLY MOVABLE DEFLECTOR ELEMENT DISPOSED WITHIN SAID LOWER INVERTED FRUSTOCONICAL MEMBER, SAID DEFLECTOR ELEMENT COMPRISING AN INVERTED FRUSTO-CONICAL PORTION WHOSE SIDE WALL IS IMPERFORATE AND IS SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL WITH THE INTERNAL WALL OF SAID LOWER INVERTED FRUSTO-CONICAL MEMBER AND FORMS THEREWITH AN ELONGATED ANNULAR PASSAGE OF SUBSTANTIALLY CONSTANT RADIAL WIDTH THROUGHOUT ITS LENGTH AND WHICH PASSAGE IS OPEN AT BOTH ENDS SO THAT THE RINSING AIR FLOWS THERETHROUGH SUBSTANTIALLY WITHOUT TURBULENCE, SAID DEFLECTOR ELEMENT BEING VERTICALLY MOVABLE TO CHANGE THE RADICAL WIDTH OF SAID ANNULAR PASSAGEWAY, SAID DEFLECTOR ELEMENT ALSO HAVING AN IMPERFORATE BASE WALL FACING THE LOWER END OF THE LOWER INVERTED FRUSTOCONICAL MEMBER; AND BOTH SAID INLETS EXTENDING IN THE SAME TANGENTIAL DIRECTION WITH RESPECT TO SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY SO THAT BOTH THE GASEOUS FLUID AND THE RINSING ARI CIRCULATE IN THE SAME CIRMUMFERENTIAL DIRECTION INSIDE SAID CYLINDRICAL BODY. 